Pretenders and psychics
by Mia1
Summary: A friend of Jarod's that he thought died years ago escapes from the Centre to find him. The Centre will do anything to recapture her - including risk Jarod's life.


Untitled 

THE PRETNDER 

PRETENDER AND PSYCHICS 

The Centre 

Blue Cove, DE 

Angelo watched as two sweepers carried in the still form of a young woman. Two men trailed behind. 

A squeak could be heard throughout the room as one pulled an air tank behind him. Angelo leaned forward 

as the two men got closer to her. 

"She doesn't look that impressive," he said. 

"Neither did Jarod at that age," the other man wheezed. "But if any one can bring him back, it will be 

her." 

"What makes her so special?" 

"They were very close when she was young." 

"Why was she moved?" 

"I didn't want them to distract each other." 

"Isn't moving her to the other side of the country a little bit extreme?" 

"Jarod was told she was dead." 

The other man leaned over her and brushed a stray curl from her face. 

"I'll start her training when she wakes up," Lyle said. 

Angelo waited until the four men left before pushing the grate off and stepping into the small room. 

He stepped close to the young woman and frowned. He had known her when she was there last time, even 

though the Centre had tried to keep who had contact with her to a minimum. 

"Cindy's future is dark," he said softly. 

As if in response to his words, she whimpered softly in her drugged sleep and turned away from him. 

He touched her shoulder gently, to let her know that she wasn't alone, then went back to the hole in the 

wall. He knew it probably wouldn't be long until she either escaped or Jarod broke her out. Until that hap- 

pened, she would need someone to look out for her. 

And he planned on doing just that. 

**** 

Cindy woke slowly, the drug taking its time leaving her system. Out of habit, she reached out with her 

senses. She felt two people. One was familiar, but fading. The other had a sense of danger to him that 

meant only one thing- he had to work for the Centre. But at the moment she didn't care. She smiled as she 

slowly opened her eyes. 

"Jarod," she whispered. 

"He's not here anymore." 

She looked at the stranger as she slowly sat up. His gray suit and nondescript features made him look 

like every other Centre employee she had ever met, except for one thing. 

He didn't have a thumb. 

"Hello Cindy." 

"Hello." 

Training kept her from asking who he was, but she was extremely curious. She cautiously reached out 

to his mind and saw images of women being abused in a small, dark room. Using her training, she pushed 

pass that and reached out for anything that contained Jarod. She saw her friend in pain, Lyle trying to 

shoot him when another man jumped in the way, knowledge that Jarod had escaped from the Centre, not 

once, but twice. 

"My name is Lyle," he said softly, talking to her through the daze that she was in. She hoped he 

would think it was from the drugs. "I'm going to take over your training." 

"What about Sam?" 

He frowned and she held her breath. She had learned very young not to question the Centre, but she 

had to know why she had suddenly been moved back to Blue Cove. 

"Sam is no longer in charge of your training," he said with a finality that she knew not to question. 

"Yes, sir," she said. 

"As for Jarod, he is no longer here. I want you to help me get him back." 

Cindy hesitated. All of her training told her not to comment, but she couldn't let him be taken again. 

"And if I say no?" 

He advanced on the bed. "You won't for long." 

**** 

Sydney shuffled through the few papers that they had found at Jarod's last pretend. It seemed like he 

was leaving fewer things behind each time. With a sigh, he set the papers down and looked at Broots typ- 

ing on the keyboard. 

"Have you found anything yet?" he asked. 

The younger man shook his head. "His trail has completely dried up. I don't even know where to be- 

gin." 

"Why would he just disappear like that?" 

"Maybe after the last time he was captured, it was too much for him. Maybe he doesn't want us to get 

close to him." 

Sydney shook his head. "There's something more to it than that. I just don't know what yet." 

"I do have some good news for you, though." 

"I could use some." 

"Lyle is going to be off of Jarod's case from now on." 

He frowned at that. "Why?" 

He got a shrug in response. "He's working on a new project. Something called Mindwrap." 

Sydney's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?" 

"Yeah. He came to tell me himself. He said to make sure that I told you. Have you heard of it 

before?" 

"It was a project about fifteen years ago. But, as far as I know, the only subject had died in a plane 

crash." 

"Maybe the Centre decided to restart it. Like they did for the Pretender Project when they made that 

clone of Jarod." 

"Mindwrap was much more complicated than the Pretender Project." 

Broots had worked for the Centre long enough to know that he didn't want to know any more than 

that. In fact, he probably knew too much as it was. With a sigh, he turned back to the computer, hoping to 

find something on the internet about their long lost pretender. 

**** 

Cindy followed behind Lyle silently. She hadn't said a word since the beating that he had given her. 

She had kept silent during it, knowing that if she cried out it would be worse. The bruises and plain black 

clothing made her stick out among the Centre employees in the crowded hallway. She paused for a mo- 

ment when she felt a familiar presence near by. Turning her head, she saw Sydney talking to a balding 

man on the other side of the hall. 

**** 

"Miss Parker thinks that she found something on Jarod in Florida. She wants us to go there as soon 

as possible." 

"Jarod will probably be gone by the time that we can get there. What makes her so sure he's there?" 

"She said she got a tip from someone." 

A sudden stillness in the crowd caught his attention. He turned his head and looked into the bruised 

face of a young woman. He looked at her for a few seconds, trying to remember where he saw her from. 

He looked into her eyes and gasped suddenly as knowledge and memory came over him. 

Lyle turned when he noticed his charge was no longer behind him. He saw her standing still in the 

crowd staring at someone. When he saw who, he cursed under his breath and went forward to grab her. 

She came as soon as she felt his hand and followed him with her head bowed. 

**** 

Broots looked over at him. "You okay, Syd?" 

The spell seemed to be broken as a young woman walked away with Lyle. "I'm fine. Tell Miss Parker 

that I won't be going with you on this trip." 

"Who is she?" 

"One of the Centre's ghost. I have to find out why she's here. This is a little bit more important than 

Jarod." 

"You want me to tell her that?" 

"Yes," he said before walking away, his memory flashing back to the last time he had heard about 

her. 

"Sydney, I need to talk to to you for a moment," Mr. Raines wheezed. 

Sydney frowned. Usually the only time Mr. Raines talked to him was to give him bad news. He had 

a feeling this time was no exception. 

"I just got word that the plane carrying Cindy went down. There are no survivors. I need you to tell 

Jarod." 

As usual, he was blunt. Already he was walking away, not waiting for a response from him. He knew 

he was expected to tell Jarod. He knew the pretender would take it hard. In the six years that she had 

been there, they had become very close. 

He found the young man in his room, reading a book that Cindy had given him. It was well below 

his reading ability, but he read it anyway. 

"I need to speak to you, Jarod," he said softly. 

The young man laid the book aside and looked at him. He knew the tone of that voice and knew it 

was bad. 

"The plane carrying Cindy went down. There are no survivors." 

"There has to be some mistake," he said softly. "She can't die." 

"She may be special, Jarod, but she's still human." 

"Why did they have to take her away?" 

Sydney started to step forward, then stopped himself. This was something Jarod would have to work 

through on his own. 

"I don't know why," he lied. The truth was Mr. Raines had felt that Cindy and Jarod had become 

too close to each other and they might distract each other from their work. He turned and left the small 

room. In a few hours, he would come back with a sim to take the young man's mind off of his grieving. 

**** 

Lyle frowned as he tugged the young woman along. His sister had found Jarod faster than he thought 

she would. That meant that he would have to move faster than he wanted to. He opened the door to Cin- 

dy's room and waited for her to go inside. 

"I'll be back for you later," he said quietly. 

She nodded silently. The door closed behind her. 

**** 

The day was very quickly going from bad to worse, Lyle decided. Sydney burst into his office and 

glared at him. He wasn't afraid of him, like a lot of other people at the Centre, even though he knew a lot 

of his secrets. 

"Where is she?" he demanded. 

He got a sigh in response. "Why do you care?" 

"I know her. Where is she?" 

"She's not your responsibility. Jarod is. I suggest that you go find your pretender while you have a 

lead to follow." 

"Just let me see her for a minute." 

"I was told not to let anyone see her. Especially you." 

Sydney turned and left the office, hoping to find the one person that would be able to help him find 

her. 

Cindy sat against the wall and waited silently. When she didn't hear anything, she started talking. 

"I didn't think that I would ever see you again." 

"Bad place," a quiet voice said. 

"I know, Angelo. But at least Jarod got away from here." 

"Future dark." 

"Unfortunately, I know that. I knew that when I was told that I was coming here. It doesn't matter 

though." 

"Why?" 

"I'm not sure yet. I just know that it won't be dark too much longer." 

"Cindy hurt." 

She touched her bruised face lightly and smiled. "I've had worse. Actually, this isn't too bad com- 

pared to Sam. Why doesn't he have a thumb?" 

"Jarod." 

She thought about asking for clarification on that, but decided against it. She finally faced the grate 

and smiled at the face from her childhood, one of the few people she could call a friend. He smiled back at 

her hesitantly, not getting much practice at it. 

"Things change," she said. "Nothing is for sure. Especially when it comes to Jarod." 

**** 

It was late when Lyle walked down the empty hallway. He had decided on a plan before Cindy had 

come, but he had to put it into action faster than he wanted to. He put the card into the slot and waited for 

the green light to come up before opening the door. Cindy was laying on her side, her arms flung out 

toward him. He shook her shoulder lightly. Her violet eyes slowly blinked open. 

"I have something that I need you to do." 

She nodded slowly and climbed out of the bed to get dressed. He waited impatiently for her outside 

the door. He thought he heard her talking to someone, but before he could check it out, she opened the 

door. 

He led her through abandoned hallways and empty rooms slowly, making sure she could find the way 

by herself. After several minutes, they made it to their destination. The old rungs built into the wall had 

been there for years. Its original use was so that maintenance could get to the roof, but there had been no 

need for it for a long time. He started climbing, making sure she was right behind him. 

He pushed the door open and stepped out before helping her. She looked up at the stars, in awe of 

their beauty. He closed the door. Cindy jumped at the sound, then looked at him. 

"I wanted to talk to you alone," Lyle said. "It's difficult to do that with all the cameras down there." 

"There aren't any up here?" 

He shook his head. "No one ever comes up here, so there's no need. I need to know what you know a- 

bout Jarod." 

Cindy shrugged. "Until today, I thought he was still here. That's what I was always told." 

"He's been gone for a few years now." He was silent for a moment. " I'm sorry about what I had to 

do earlier, but I need you to do what I tell you. Understood?" 

She lowered her eyes. "Yes, sir." 

"Good." 

Cindy hesitated on the question she was dying to know. He looked at her closely, then nodded. 

"I can tell there's something you want to know. Go ahead and ask." 

"How is Jarod? Has anyone heard anything from him?" 

Lyle nodded. "He's in Florida right now. My sister is going there tomorrow to try to get him again." 

"And if she does, she'll bring him back here?" 

"Yes." 

"Florida," she repeated softly. 

**** 

Cindy kept her eyes closed as she concentrated on the camera. In her mind, she saw the plug on the 

wall being pulled out of the socket. She opened her eyes a moment later and moved about the room, taking 

the bag out from under her bed that she had brought her clothes in. She packed quickly before going over 

to the grate. 

"I'm going to miss you," she said softly. 

"Outside bad." 

"Angelo, I have to find Jarod. This could be my only chance. I know where he is, and it'll be easy to 

escape. Trust me on this." 

Angelo was silent as she pulled the grate off and slid past him. He knew she couldn't get past the e- 

lectronic door, but it wouldn't be much of a challenge to find a door with a regular lock, one that she could 

open easily. She paused for a moment to give him a hug one last time before moving on. 

**** 

Miss Parker lit the cigarette and took a deep drag. She had found this deserted part of the Centre 

years ago. It was one of the few places she could smoke without anyone hassling her. Out of the corner of 

her eye, she saw movement. She dropped her cigarette, pulled her gun out and spun around. She found 

herself face to face with a surprised young woman. From the clothing that she wore, Miss Parker knew that 

she belonged to the Centre. They stared at each other for a moment, then the young woman smiled as her 

eyes narrowed slightly. 

"You never saw me," she said before walking away. 

Miss Parker put her gun away and looked around. She lit another cigarette, wondering how the other 

one got on the floor. Working for the Centre was making her too jumpy. She never noticed the young wo- 

man climbing up the rungs to the roof. 

**** 

Jarod pushed the window open and stepped out onto the roof. He had overstayed his welcome in 

Florida and had to make it to his motorcycle outside. Easier said than done, he thought as he listened to 

the pounding on the door intensify. He knew it wouldn't take long for the sweepers to break through the 

door. He pushed the window shut and started climbing down when the door busted open. A few seconds 

later he heard the window shatter above him. Glass rained down as he risked a glance upwards. One 

sweeper was pointing a gun down at him. 

He ran down faster, trying not to think about how much better of a shot these sweepers were than 

what they usually sent. He listened to Miss Parker screaming. 

"Go down and get him! I want him alive!" 

The bullets stopped and footsteps pounded above him. He made it off of the fire escape and down the 

alley without any problems, but he knew the sweepers weren't far behind. He ran around the corner to his 

motorcycle. He saw a young woman in familiar looking clothes sitting on it. 

"Get off!" he yelled. 

She turned her head and stared at him. He skidded to a stop as he realized who it was. 

"Cindy," he whispered. 

Her eyes widened, but in terror, not surprise. "Look out!" she screamed. 

Jarod turned around and found himself face to face with Sam, one of the sweepers who had been after 

Jarod since his original escape. Cindy narrowed her eyes as he tried to step forward. He found himself fro- 

zen to the spot. 

"Jarod, hurry up," she said. 

The pretender spun around and jumped on in front of her as everyone else ran out of the building. 

Broots looked at her surprised as they drove past. 

"That's her," he said. 

The young woman looked familiar to Miss Parker, but she couldn't place where she saw her. She had 

a feeling she would get more answers at the Centre than they would here. 

"Get the jet ready," she said. "We're going back. I want this apartment gone over with a fine tooth 

comb. Bring everything you find back to the Centre." She looked at Sam. "You had him. What 

happened?" 

"I don't know, Miss Parker. I was ready to grab him when I suddenly couldn't move." 

She turned away and waved for a taxi. 

**** 

Jarod was silent as they rode down the street. He was use to the Centre lying to him, but he had ne- 

ver expected to see Cindy again. He had thought of her frequently since he left the Centre, but knew if 

she was still alive, there was very little he could do. He was good, but even he couldn't access all the 

Centre's records. Cindy's whereabouts would be one thing they would have hidden very well. 

He felt the pressure of her arms around his waist. He put one hand over hers briefly, trying to assure 

himself that she was the real thing. Her arms tightened slightly at the contact, seeming to know what he 

wanted. She probably did, he reasoned. She was psychic after all. 

**** 

"You let her escape," Mr. Raines wheezed. 

"They had her under very tight security in California. I was the only one watching her here. You 

should of known it would only be a matter of time before she escaped." 

"I don't want to hear excuses. I want her back." 

"How do you propose I do that? She escaped easier than Jarod did and in less time." 

"I don't care how. I'm holding you personally responsible for her escape. And her capture." 

**** 

"Your brother doesn't seem too happy," Sydney commented as he watched Lyle walk briskly down 

the hall. 

Miss Parker could have cared less if her brother was happy. She wanted answers. "Who is she, Syd? 

How does she know Jarod?" 

"I think someplace a little more private would be better," he said as he led the two into his office. 

"About sixteen years ago," he began after the door closed, "the Centre started a project called Mind- 

wrap. A Centre employee had been at a store when he saw a little girl reaching for a teddy bear. When her 

mother said no, the teddy bear moved through the air and the little girl grabbed it. Mr. Raines was told and 

he decided that she would be a good subject. The next day, the Centre had her." 

"She's telekinetic?" Broots asked. 

"Among other things. She was scared when they brought her in and wouldn't talk to anyone. I su- 

ggested to Mr. Raines that Jarod tried talking to her. He agreed. They became close friends." He shook his 

head. "She was here for six years when the Triumvirate decided they were too close and one of them had 

to leave. She was going to go to San Diego when her plane supposedly crashed. That was what I was told 

and I told Jarod." 

"Why was I never told about her?" Miss Parker asked. 

"They felt the fewer people that knew about her, the better. Mindwrap was a very secret project." 

"Now that Jarod knows that she's alive, what will he do?" 

"Try to keep her as far away from the Centre as possible." 

**** 

Cindy looked at the food curiously. Jarod smiled at her reaction since it almost mirrored his own first 

experience. 

"It's better if you eat before it melts," he said, passing on the advice he had heard so long ago. 

She hesitantly took a small bite, then smiled. "It's good. What did you say it was called again?" 

"Ice cream." 

"Why didn't we ever get this in the Centre?" 

"There's a lot of things that we didn't get there. All of that is going to change now. How did you find 

me?" 

"Mr. Lyle and Miss Parker." 

After seeing Cindy alive, he didn't think anything else could surprise him. He just realized how 

wrong he was. He smiled suddenly. 

"Not with their permission, I assume." 

She smiled shyly. "No. Mr. Lyle told me where you were and Miss Parker gave me a ride here. Of 

course, she doesn't know that." She paused for a moment. "I saw Sydney." 

"How is he?" 

"Very surprised to see me for some reason. I thought it was because I was gone for so long, but I have 

a feeling it was something else." 

Even if she wasn't psychic, she was very perceptive. "No," he said softly. "I just never expected to 

see you again. I guess he never did either." He looked around the empty ice cream parlor, trying to decide 

whether or not he wanted to have this conversation here. "Where have you been?" 

"San Diego. The Centre has a place there. I wonder what Sam is going to say when he finds out I 

left." 

"Sam?" 

"He's the one that took care of me- if you can call it that. He believed in being more… physical than 

Sydney." 

"Is he the one that did that to you?" he asked, tipping her face up toward the light slightly. 

She pulled away from him. "No. Mr. Lyle did. He said I needed to learn to respect authority." She 

shrugged slightly. "It's nothing that I haven't been through before." 

He kept his anger at the Centre in check and took her hand. "When did they move you back?" 

"Two days ago. It was easy to escape." 

"Easy for you," Jarod said. "Not everyone has your abilities. How did you do it?" 

She quickly explained what she had done to get out of the Centre and how she had hid in the plane 

that they had flown to Florida. He smiled at the idea of the Centre helping bring them together. Something 

about the story didn't sound right though. 

"You said Lyle took you outside?" 

She nodded as she took another bite of the ice cream. "I thought it was weird too. No one in the Cent- 

re had ever done anything like that for me before. I didn't think about reading his mind though. I was too 

excited about finally being able to leave. I should have, though." 

He smiled. "Don't worry about it. It's over with now. And I'm sure that you'll get another chance to 

do it." 

Cindy shot him a confused look. "I don't understand." 

"I'll explain later. Right now we need to find you some clothes and a place to stay." 

Angelo didn't move when the door opened. The person walked over to him and knelt down. 

"I need to know where Cindy is." 

"He can't help you," a voice behind them said. 

Both turned around as Sydney walked in. 

"Why?" Lyle asked. 

"Cindy is psychic. She can block out Angelo if he tries to find her. We use to do experiments when 

she was younger. He could never find her." 

Lyle stood and started to walk away. 

"Cindy happy," Angelo said quietly. 

He looked at him for a moment before leaving. He had other ways of getting information. 

**** 

"I'm back," Jarod called out as he walked into the hotel room. 

"I knew that," Cindy said, walking into the living room with a towel wrapped around herself. "I could 

feel you a block away." 

He handed her a large bag. "Here's some clothes. I think you'll like these better than what the Centre 

provided." 

She took the bag and went into her room. She came out a few minutes' later wearing jeans and a t- 

shirt, looking slightly skeptical. "Are you sure this is what people wear?" 

Jarod nodded. "Trust me on this." 

She sighed dramatically. "I guess I'll have to." 

He smiled. "Go put your clothes away. We'll be here till tomorrow." 

Cindy nodded and went back to her room. Jarod pulled his DSAs out and shuffled through them until 

he found the one that he was looking for. He slipped it in and watched the black and white screen as a 

younger version of himself came on. Sydney walked into the room and smiled. 

"Good morning, Jarod. I have a special project for you today. A young girl was brought in two days 

ago. She hasn't said anything to anyone since she's been here. I was hoping you could get her to talk." 

"Is she like me?" he had asked. 

Sydney hesitated. "She's special, but not like you. Maybe if you can get her to talk, she'll tell you." 

The scene changed to show a little girl with blonde curls sitting at a table. She ran to the door as it o- 

pened and threw her arms around Jarod. 

"Don't leave me," she whispered. 

"I won't," he said, confused. 

"I sensed you coming," Cindy said from behind. 

He turned around. "I always wondered about that." 

"I knew you didn't want to hurt me like the others did. That you didn't have any choice about being 

there either." 

They turned their attention back to the screen as two sweepers walked in. Jarod reached to turn it off, 

but she stopped him. 

"I don't remember what happened." 

"Maybe it's for the best." 

She watched as one of the sweepers reached for the little girl on the screen. Her eyes narrowed sudd- 

enly. One of the men was thrown against the wall and the other one fell to the floor. Sydney walked in hes- 

itantly. He held both hands out, one empty and one with a syringe. 

"I don't want to hurt you," he said sincerely. 

"They do," she whispered. 

"I won't let them. You can trust me." 

Jarod had stayed silent during the whole exchange. Cindy looked up at him with wide eyes, silently 

asking what she should do. He nodded slightly so she knew she could trust him. She walked forward 

slowly and held her arm out. Sydney gave her the injection, then picked her up and carried her out of the 

room. The picture on the screen faded to black. He shut the DSA off and turned around. Cindy's face was 

white. 

"I remember now," she whispered. "I woke up later. Sydney was telling Mr. Raines that I killed that 

man because I was scared. He said that I needed someone to take care of me that wouldn't hurt me. Mr. 

Raines told him he couldn't do it because he was busy with you. He said that I had to learn early to respect 

authority. He said there was only one way to do that." 

"I never knew," he said softly. 

Cindy shrugged. "It's over now, so it doesn't matter." 

He knew that it wasn't over yet. That it wouldn't be over for a long time for either of them. He put his 

hand on her arm. 

"Why don't you go to bed?" 

She smiled hesitantly. "Only if you do." 

He smiled back. "Deal." 

**** 

It was late when Cindy heard a crash. She was instantly awake and for a moment thought she was 

back in the Centre. She turned her head when she heard another crash followed by a bright flash of light. 

Water beat against her window. 

She slid out of bed and went into the lounge, pausing by Jarod's room for a moment. She pulled his 

cell phone out of his bag and called the one person that could give her answers. After four rings, a tired 

voice finally answered. 

"Hello." 

"Hi Sydney." 

There was a long pause before he answered. 

"Hi Cindy." 

"It's doing something strange outside. It's wet." 

"It's called rain. It's perfectly natural." 

"Oh." 

"Surely you didn't call me in the middle of the night to discuss weather." 

"Uhm, no. I wanted to ask you something; about when I came to the Centre." 

"I may not be able to give you an answer that you like." 

"I know. Did I really kill that man?" 

Sydney wanted to tell her the truth, but he still hesitated. She had been through enough pain because 

of the Centre. 

"Why don't we meet somewhere and we'll discuss it in person." 

"And have a few sweepers waiting for me? I don't think so." 

"I want you to come back. I'll be in charge of your project." 

"Did Mr. Raines tell you that?" 

"Yes." 

"And you believe him?" 

"I have no reason not to." 

"After everything he's done? He's the one that sent me away in the first place." 

"The project means a lot to him. Almost more than the pretender project." 

"Sydney, I-" 

She couldn't think of anything to say to him. After a long moment, he spoke. 

"Go back to bed, Cindy," he said. "We'll talk more later." 

"Thank you," she said, although she was unsure what she was thanking him for. 

Silence was her only response. She put the phone back and went through the DSAs that Jarod had left 

sitting out. She put one in and turned the machine on the way that he had earlier. A black and white image 

of him as a child came up. She watched it for a few minutes before putting another one in. She spent the 

next hour watching them. Some had her, but most didn't. She put another one in and played it, planning on 

it being the last one. 

Sydney walked into Jarod's room. The pretender looked younger than he was now and she knew it 

was about the time she was sent away. He looked up from a book he was reading. She recognized it as one 

of the few belongings she had had at the time. She knew she was leaving and had given it to him to remem- 

ber her by. 

"I need to talk to you, Jarod." He waited for the young man to put the book down before continuing. 

"I just found out that Cindy's plane went down. There are no survivors." 

"There has to be some mistake." Even in the black and white picture, she could see the pain in his 

eyes. "She can't die." 

"She may be special, Jarod, but she's still human." 

"Why did they have to take her away?" 

"I don't know." 

As tears started to slide down his face, the older man left the room silently. She had always figured it 

was Centre policy, or maybe they were just to cold to care about their projects, but she knew what would 

happen next. After delivering the bad news, they would run him through a sim to take his mind off of it. 

With a small sigh, she shut the machine off and went back to bed. 

It was late the next morning when she woke up. Jarod was already in the lounge, waiting for her. She 

glanced at him, knowing there was something wrong. She cleared her throat to let him know she was there. 

He started talking without looking at her. 

"I had a strange dream last night." 

"Really?" she asked, trying to hide her guilt. 

"I dreamed that I was a fireman trying to save someone from a house when Sydney's number sudden- 

ly went through my mind. I have no idea why I would think of his number, do you?" 

"No." 

"Cindy," he started. 

"I'm sorry," she said suddenly. "I had to talk to him." 

"It's okay." 

"It- it is?" 

"He knows things that I don't, things that I can't get access to. What did he say?" 

"He wants me to come back. He said that he would be in charge of my project." 

"Do you want to go back?" he asked sincerely. "If you escaped just to find me-" 

"The only reason I didn't escape before was…. Well, I had my reasons. It doesn't matter. Now that 

I'm out, I'm never going back." 

"It won't be that easy," he said. "I've been gone for years and they're still after me. I'm afraid they 

probably want you more than they want me." 

"I don't care. I won't go back." 

Jarod smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. Get dressed, we have a busy day ahead of us." 

"What are we doing?" 

"I'm going to take you to an amusement park and you're going to try your first pizza." 

"Great," Cindy said hesitantly, unsure of what either one was. 

**** 

"Your little project escaped." 

There was a long stream of cursing on the other end of the line. Lyle waited patiently for him to get 

his anger out. 

"I told them that would happen if they sent her there." 

"She went after Jarod." 

"So he really did escape." 

"You didn't know?" 

"I couldn't. Cindy can read minds. We wouldn't of had her very long if she had known the truth." 

"I'm in charge of getting her back, but I need your help to do it." 

There was a long pause on the other end. Finally Sam said, "what do you want to know?" 

**** 

Cindy fell into bed, not caring that she still had her clothes on. She couldn't remember ever being so 

worn out, but she couldn't remember ever having so much fun either. She was asleep within a few minutes. 

Jarod woke up, wondering what had taken him from his deep sleep. He heard a muffled yell, followed 

by sobbing close by. He jumped out of bed and ran into Cindy's room. She was tangled up in her sheets, 

fighting to get free. He tried to step closer, but felt something holding him back. He knew it was Cindy. 

He tried to push his way forward, but her mind was too strong. He felt helpless as she cried out again. 

"Cindy, wake up!" he yelled desperately. 

Still trapped in her nightmare, her head jerked to the side as though someone had struck her. Con- 

sidering what she had been through, he wasn't surprised. She raised her arm, then screamed and held it 

tightly against her chest. 

"No, I won't do it," she whimpered. Tears ran down her cheeks from her tightly closed eyelids. "All 

right, I'll do what you want. Just… just don't hurt Jarod." 

He quit fighting, shocked by what he heard. Suddenly the invisible hold was gone. He ran to the bed 

and held her tightly as she cried. It seemed like an eternity before she finally woke up. 

"Jarod?" she said softly. 

He started to loosen his hold, but she shook her head. " Please… just hold me." 

He held her tighter, giving her time to cry herself out. It took a while before she relaxed against him. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" 

"Not if I can avoid it." 

He smiled sadly. "I know how you feel. There are things that I would rather forget about too." 

Cindy leaned against him for support. "They wanted me to stop a man's heart. They said it would be 

the perfect murder. When I said no, they beat me and broke my arm. When I still told them no, they 

threatened to hurt you." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "I couldn't let them hurt you." 

Jarod closed his eyes. As he felt her start to shake, he tightened his hold. 

"I did a lot of things I didn't want to do either," he said softly. "I'm sorry that you had to go through 

that alone." 

He could feel her shrug. "At the time it was easier, knowing that someone else was going through the 

same thing that I was. I guess that was a lie, like everything else the Centre told me." 

"If I would have known where you were, I would have gotten you out a long time ago." 

He wiped her tears away. She closed her eyes and let him. Beyond her beatings, she was never 

touched that often. Now that she was out, she craved it. He seemed to understand as his arms tightened. It 

was a long time before she relaxed enough to go to sleep. 

Jarod moved slightly. She burrowed into his side even further, making escape impossible. He sighed 

and tried to make himself as comfortable as possible. Like Cindy, he had never had much affection from 

the Centre or since he had been out. He laid his head on top of hers and settled down as best as he could. 

Cindy slowly opened her eyes, an unfamiliar calm coming over her. She shifted, then tensed as she 

felt someone's arms around her. 

"It's okay," Jarod said. " We need to leave soon. I don't think we should risk another day here." 

She nodded and untangled herself from his arms. As she stumbled into the bathroom, he started pack- 

ing his few belongings before packing hers. She came out of the bathroom a few minutes later with her 

new clothes on. As soon as they started toward the door, she grabbed his arm. 

"Lyle is here." 

Jarod looked at her. "Where?" 

"He's coming here. He's in the building. I'm sorry, I should have felt him sooner." 

"Don't worry about it. Is there anything that you can do?" 

"Not from here. We have to hide." 

Before he could argue, she pushed him toward his bedroom. The door to the closet was open. They 

stepped inside and closed the door as the front door opened. 

"Come out, come out where ever you are," Lyle said loudly. "I know you're here Cindy. Why not 

make this easy on everyone and come back." 

Jarod held her hand tightly to remind her she was no longer alone. She bit back her response and 

waited to see what Lyle had in mind. 

"I know your secret," he continued as he looked under the bed in the closest bedroom. He didn't fig- 

ure they would go for something so obvious, but there were only a few places they could hide. He thought 

he heard a small gasp. He looked at the wall, but there was nothing there. He stepped closer and started 

running his hands over it. 

"I had a long talk with Sam. He told me some very interesting things about you, Cindy. How you 

killed someone when you were first brought to the Centre." He smiled. "I have to admit I was impressed 

when I heard that. I never killed my first person until I was eighteen. How you killed another man so that 

Jarod wouldn't be hurt. The ironic thing is you were protecting someone who we no longer had." 

He paused, his hand resting on the wall, listening. When there was no sound, he continued. 

"Is Jarod here to? That would make my job so much easier. Two for the price of one. Does he know 

of the skeletons in your closet? Does he know your little secret? If he doesn't, I think I'll tell him. That is if 

you don't mind." 

Aware that there was a chance that he was talking to an empty room, or that it was the wrong one, he 

continued. 

"You see Jarod, Cindy-" 

The wall in front of him seemed to shimmer, then he saw a door. Before he could reach for it, it 

swung open and Cindy stepped out. 

"It's bad enough that I have to live with it," she whispered. 

He glanced in the empty closet, frowning when he saw it was empty. "Where's Jarod?" 

"Gone. He left last night." 

"That's not very likely." 

"It was my idea. And you know that I can control people." 

"I also know that you can't control people when you're unconscious." 

He swung the gun around and hit her on the forehead. She crumbled to the ground. Knowing that he 

was found, Jarod stepped out of the closet and knelt down beside her. He felt a gun pressed into his back. "Like I said, two for the price of one." 

Jarod shifted in his seat and tried to get a better look at Cindy. After taking them to a Centre jet wait- 

ing for them, Lyle had drugged Cindy and put her into a seat. Jarod had struggled against the handcuffs 

holding him, but it didn't do any good. Lyle knew that he had them right where he wanted them. He had 

been surprised that no one else from the Centre had been waiting for them. 

"They trusted you to come out here all by yourself?" 

Lyle had looked up from the seatbelt he was adjusting around Cindy long enough to give him a 

chilling smile. "You're expendable to me. She's the only one I was concerned about getting. It doesn't 

matter to me if you come or not. But, since you're here, I could always use a few extra brownie points 

where the Triumvirate is concerned." He finished with the seat belt and straightened up. "Did she ever tell 

you her secret? Not that it matters now." 

"Are you going to tell me?" 

"I think she would rather do that herself." 

He walked out of the small room, leaving them alone. Jarod stood up and walked over to her. Blood 

streaked one side of her face from where she had been hit. 

"Cindy," he said softly. 

She didn't move. He sighed and went back to his seat. It wasn't long before he felt the plane take off. 

He knew it would be a short ride to the Centre, too short as far as he was concerned. He wasn't sure what 

Lyle had given her and had no idea how long she would be out. If they did anything to hurt her- 

He let the thought trail off and relaxed as best as he could, trying to come up with a plan. 

**** 

Cindy slowly opened her eyes. She reached out with her mind and felt- nothing. That caused her to 

sit straight up in the hard bed she was in. "Easy, easy," a familiar voice said. 

She started pull away when she realized it was Jarod. Looking at the pretender, she winced when 

she saw the dark bruises covering his face. She started to reach out for him, but he pulled back. 

"I'm all right," he said. "They didn't like it too much when I tried to get away." 

"The Centre?" she rasped, her throat dry. 

"I'm afraid so. You've been out for a while." 

"I can't feel anything." "I think it's whatever Lyle gave you. It won't last forever. The reason they want you is because of 

what you can do." 

"They don't want me to escape." 

Jarod nodded. "They'll make sure that you'll do what they want before they'll let you feel anything a- 

gain. I know how they are." 

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I shouldn't have listened to him. It was stupid of me." 

"It's okay." 

The door opened. Neither were surprised when Lyle came in. Cindy stood up, noticing that she was in 

the familiar Centre clothes. She stood in front of Jarod. Lyle merely laughed when he saw the protective 

gesture. 

"What do you think you can do to me now? If I wanted to hurt Jarod, I could. Or you for that 

matter." 

Cindy tried to push him away with her mind when he stepped closer, but nothing happened. She 

bowed her head, feeling completely helpless. She didn't even struggle when Lyle grabbed her arm 

painfully. 

"You have a T-board waiting for you." 

She glanced at Jarod in horror as he pulled her from the room. He looked at her sadly. For the first 

time, she noticed that his leg was chained to the floor. The door was closed behind them, blocking the 

view of her friend. 

Cindy had heard of T-boards. Even in her sheltered life in the Centre, she had heard the horror 

stories. The T stood for torture and it was usually held for the employees who had screwed up. Never had 

she heard of a project being put before one. 

Of course, she had never heard of a project escaping before either. There was a first time for every- 

thing, she supposed. She glanced over the few faces she could make out. Among them were Sydney, the 

man he had talked to in the hallway and the woman she had seen when escaping. Lyle pulled her hands 

behind her back and cuffed them tightly. She almost smiled at that. Without her power, she was helpless. 

She was pushed into a chair. Lyle kept his hand on her shoulder to keep her from getting up. She 

closed her eyes when she heard the familiar squeak of wheels behind her. Mr. Raines had just come in. 

The T-board was about to begin. 

**** 

Jarod paced the room as far as the short chain would allow. With a sigh he sat down on the floor and 

waited for Cindy to come back. He knew it could be hours before she came back. The point of a T-board 

was to wear the person down to get the answers they wanted. He knew he was probably next to go before 

them. He didn't care about himself. It was Cindy he was worried about. He knew they would do anything 

to get her to cooperate. 

**** 

Cindy shifted slightly in her seat as the board continued to ask her questions. Lyle's hand tightened, 

making sure she didn't go anywhere. The board hadn't been happy with her last few answers. She glanced 

at Sydney, hoping for a friendly face in the room, but he wouldn't look at her. With a small sigh she sat up 

straighter and continued to answer them. 

**** 

After three hours, the door opened and Cindy stumbled in. Lyle took the handcuffs off before lea- 

ving the room. Jarod held his arms out to her, but she went into the corner and sat down with her head on 

her knees. 

"Cindy," he started. 

She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it." 

He pulled on the chain again, but he knew it wasn't going anywhere soon. The Centre had them right 

where they wanted them. 

And they knew it. 

**** 

Sydney watched the DSA that had just been made of Cindy's T-board. He didn't like the cut on her 

forehead, but he hadn't been able to attend to her. He had asked the fewest questions there, seeing the 

look of betrayal in her eyes every time he opened his mouth. Lyle had stood behind her the entire time, his 

hand possessively on her shoulder. When she talked about her escape, he could see his hand tightening. 

Cindy's wince was very visible on the small screen. 

"You were there," a voice behind him said. "I don't see why you insist on torturing yourself." 

He turned and looked at Miss Parker. "She's just a child." 

"So was Jarod- at one time. And now that we have them both, I can get on with my life." 

"Have they decided what they're going to do with them?' 

"They're going to put Jarod in front of the T-board tomorrow, then decide. I don't care either way. I 

already told my father that I'm leaving." 

He nodded and shut the computer off. He could worry about it tomorrow. He had to get some sleep 

tonight. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. 

**** 

Cindy slowly raised her head and looked at Jarod. He smiled encouragingly at her. 

"I don't ever want to go through that again." 

"I know. What did they say?" 

"Nothing yet." 

He held his arms out to her again. This time she came forward and leaned against him. 

"It's getting late, I think. Why don't you try to get some sleep?" 

"I need to tell you something first." 

He waited. 

"Lyle was right. I do have a secret. I was in my room one day when Sam told me that he had something 

special that he wanted me to do. A teenager had been brought to the Centre and he wanted me to read his 

mind." 

Talking about history repeating itself, Jarod thought. 

"So I did. He was different than anyone I had ever read; he wasn't complete. I... I saw you and Sydney 

in his memories. When Sam asked me what I saw, I told him that he was normal, there was nothing special 

about him. He got angry and hit me. He said that I must be losing my touch because the Centre knew that 

he was special. I just didn't want him to go through the same thing that we had to go through." 

Jarod nodded understandingly, biting back any questions about how his clone got back in the hands 

of the Centre. 

"After Sam sent me to bed, I snuck out of my room and went to find him. He was so scared of what 

was going to happen to him. He said that he knew you and the Centre had taken you so that he could be 

free. I didn't really understand- I don't think that I wanted to at the time. I told him I would make everything 

better and told him to go to sleep." 

The pretender felt warm tears on his arm. He tightened his grip, hoping it would help. He already had 

a pretty good idea of how the story ended. He swore to himself that he wouldn't let anything like that hap- 

pen to her again. 

"After he was asleep, I stopped his heart. It was quick and painless for him. I knew what you went 

through and I thought it was better that way. Sam was furious when he found out. I don't think that he ever 

beat me so much. Right before he left, he smiled and said that I was what the Centre had wanted all along- 

someone who would kill. I knew after that that I had to escape, but I couldn't let you suffer for it. So, for 

the next year, I did what the Centre wanted. But I wouldn't kill anyone." 

Jarod could feel his own tears joining hers. 

"I couldn't tell you before," she whispered. "I thought that you would hate me." 

He lifted her face up. Violet eyes filled with pain met his brown eyes. "Nothing could ever make me 

hate you. Ever." 

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. 

"You have nothing to be sorry for." 

"If I would of let him live, maybe they wouldn't of come after you." 

"They were still after me. Two pretenders are going to get more work done than just one." 

Cindy nodded and leaned against him. "I'm so tired." 

"Go to sleep. I'm not going anywhere." 

She smiled sadly at the truth in that comment and closed her eyes. It wasn't long before the day 

caught up to her and was asleep. 

**** 

The door squeaked way to loud, Jarod thought. Not that he ever noticed it before, but now that it 

woke him up, he knew he would have to complain about it. Not that it would do him any good if he said 

anything. In his arms, Cindy stirred slightly, then opened her eyes. She frowned up at him. 

"What time is it?" she muttered. 

"Time for your shot." 

She jerked her head toward the sound of the voice, her memory rushing back to her. Lyle grinned at 

both of them, holding a syringe in his hand. 

"It'll be painless," he assured her. "Unless you want it otherwise." 

Jarod tried to hold on to her as she stood up. She tried to push him away with her mind, but it didn't 

work. Lyle grabbed onto her arm tightly and backhanded her. Her head jerked to the side. Jarod tried to 

get her, but the chain kept him from going too far. He glared at Lyle as he pushed her against the wall. 

"Perhaps you need another lesson," he said. "Maybe Sam didn't teach you well enough." 

"No, please," she whispered. 

"The Centre owns you." 

"Don't listen to him!" Jarod yelled. "You know that's not true." 

Lyle punched her this time, splitting her cheek open. He looked down at the pretender as his grip 

tightened on the young woman. 

"You need a lesson too. So, every time you disobey me, she will pay. Is that how you want it?" 

When he didn't answer, Lyle hit her again. She looked at her friend and shook her head. 

"Don't do it, Jarod," she said. "He'll hurt me anyway." 

With a glare he held her against the wall and gave her the injection. She cried out as the needle pain- 

fully slid into her skin. He pushed her down into the pretender's waiting arms. 

"I'll be back in a few hours to get you. You have your T-board today." 

With that, he slammed the door behind him. Cindy curled into his chest, trying to stop the tears from 

running down her cheeks. For the first time in her life she couldn't feel other people with her mind and she 

was more than a little frightened. Jarod held her tightly, not saying anything, just being there. After a few 

minutes she calmed enough to look at him. 

"Don't do what they say," she whispered. "Not even for me. They'll probably just move me back to 

San Diego." 

Jarod doubted that for his own reasons and sighed. He knew what she had been through and would 

do anything to spare her more pain. He inspected the cut on her cheek, which was already beginning to 

stop bleeding. She closed her eyes as he wiped the blood away with his sleeve. 

"They can't do anything that they haven't done to me before." 

He doubted that too, but he didn't say anything. 

"It's still early and you need some sleep," he said. "I'll be right here." 

As Cindy snuggled against him, she smiled at past memories that came to mind. When she first came 

to the Centre, she was scared and couldn't sleep at night. It didn't take much for her to sneak out of her 

room at night to find Jarod and sleep with him. He had been surprised when she woke him gently, hesitant- 

ly asking for permission to share his bed. He had smiled at her and made room. She curled against him, as 

she was doing now and was asleep within moments. A very surprised Sydney had found her in there the 

next morning and led her to her room before anyone could find out. She did it every night for two weeks 

before someone else found her. 

Unfortunately, it had been Mr. Raines and he had decided she needed some discipline. She couldn't 

hold back the shudder as she remembered the first real beating she had received. He had looked on 

impassively as she tried to use her power, but didn't want to hurt anyone after she had killed the man who 

had tried to give her the shot. Afterwards they had put her back in her room with the threat that it would be 

worse next time. She didn't sneak out of her room anymore after that. They installed an electric lock as soon 

as they realized she wouldn't be able to open it. 

With a sigh, she went to sleep. It seemed like it was only a few moments later when the door 

squeaked open again, but instead of Lyle, Sydney stood there. Cindy stood in front of the pretender as he 

climbed to his feet. 

"I see some habits are hard to break," he said to her softly. 

"Well Jarod is one of the few people that I can count on," she replied coolly. 

"I guess you think that I deserve that." 

"You tell me. What are they going to do- send me back to San Diego?" 

"They haven't decide yet. I came to get Jarod. They felt that it would probably be better if I did than 

anyone else." 

She frowned. "What are they afraid of? I can't do anything anymore." 

Sydney knelt down and undid the chain around Jarod's ankle. They left the room silently, the 

squeaky door closing behind them. She sat in the middle of the floor and stared at the door, hoping it 

wouldn't take too long for him to come back. 

Jarod's T-board took much longer than hers. Not that that should have surprised her- he had been 

gone for a few years and she had only been away a few days. It was slowly turning into evening when 

Sydney brought him back in. Cindy looked up at the weary pretender as the handcuffs were taken off of his 

wrists. He lay down on the single bed as the door closed. 

"I'm glad I wasn't gone for very long," she whispered. 

"Why?" 

"I didn't get to experience that much. Hopefully I won't miss it." 

He closed his eyes at the sound of defeat in her voice. It was so unlike the passionate young girl who 

had come to the Centre, the one he had grown to care about as they spent more time together, the one he 

had grieved for when he was lied to about her death. 

"So you've given up?" 

"Do you have any other ideas?" 

He glanced at the camera sitting in the corner of the ceiling, watching them silently. He suppressed a 

sigh and put his hand on her shoulder. He could feel how tense she was. "We'll find a way," he said softly. 

"What makes you so sure?" 

He looked directly into the camera and said, "they can't keep us here forever." 

Her muscles relaxed slightly at his words. "What are they going to do to us?" 

"I don't know yet." 

"Is there room up there for me?" 

Jarod smiled and moved over. "Always." 

She curled up against him. Soon both were asleep. They never noticed the pair of eyes watching them 

from the vent in the wall. 

**** 

Sydney stepped into his office, slightly surprised to see Broots waiting for him. 

"Have they decided what they're going to do?" 

Broots shook his head. "I haven't heard anything about that." 

The tone in his voice got the older man's attention. "But you have heard something else?" 

He glanced around to make sure no one was there before continuing. "Yes. Mr. Raines doesn't want 

to give Cindy any more shots. He's afraid it'll affect her ability. Apparently, the Triumvirate is agreeing. 

They're going to do something to make sure she behaves." He dropped his voice. "And I don't think they 

care whether or not Jarod lives." 

He sucked in his breath. "They can't do that." 

"This is the Triumvirate we're talking about. They're mad about Jarod being gone so long and Cindy 

escaping. I heard they'll kill anyone to get her to behave." 

"When?" 

"Tomorrow." 

"There has to be another way." 

"I'm sure they're open to suggestions. They probably don't want to lose their pretender, but appear- 

ently they think Cindy is more valuable." 

"Of course. Why sell sims to the highest bidder when they could just rent Cindy out and let her deal 

with the situation by controlling minds." The younger man put his hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sydney." 

"He's not dead yet." 

**** 

It was late when the door squeaked open. Cindy turned her head, squinting against the bright light 

coming from the hallway. Lyle stood there, looking at her. 

"Come on," he said quietly. 

She disentangled herself from Jarod's arms and walked to the door. With one last look at the pretender, 

she followed him down the hall. He opened the door to another room, this one with an electronic lock. She 

felt a little bit of hope go through her. Maybe they were going to quit giving her the shots so she could 

feel again. The door closed behind her, blocking out all light. She felt her way around the room until she 

found a hard bed that sat in the corner. With a sigh she laid down, but it was a long time before she got 

to sleep. 

**** 

There's that squeak again, Jarod thought as he opened his eyes. Sydney stood in the doorway with a 

clean set of clothes. He laid them down at the foot of the bed and turned to walk out, avoiding the pretn- 

der's eyes the entire time. He knew that wasn't a good sign. 

"What's this for?" he asked the older man. 

"Mr. Raines is going to decide what he wants to do with you today. He wants you to look presenta- 

ble." 

"Are they going to send Cindy away?" 

He was silent for a moment before saying softly, "I don't know." 

Before Jarod could ask him anything else, he walked out and closed the door. 

**** 

The bright lights filled the room, causing Cindy to turn toward the wall. She heard someone come in. 

Her past training kicked in and she jumped to her feet, afraid of what would happen if she wasn't ready. 

Sydney looked slightly surprised as he handed her a clean set of clothes. 

"What are they going to do to us?" 

He didn't want to answer, but the innocence in her voice prompted him to. He put his hand on her 

shoulder, feeling how tense she was. 

"I just want you to know that no matter what happens, no one will blame you. Especially not Jarod." 

"I don't understand." 

Sydney squeezed her shoulder before leaving the small room. Cindy set the clothes down before head- 

ing for the shower. 

**** 

It was an hour later when the pretender and the psychic stood in a large room side by side. Jarod rec- 

ognized it immediately- he had done a number of sims in her over the years. The room looked strangely 

empty with only a table and two chairs. The door behind them opened, but neither turned. Lyle strode into 

the room with a confident smile on his face. 

"The Triumvirate has decide what to do with the two of you," he said as he circled around to face 

them. "The last shot that I gave Cindy should be wearing off in a few minutes." 

He stood in front of them, seemingly sizing them up in a glance. He reached into his pocket and 

pulled out a switchblade. Cindy jumped slightly at the sound of it opening. Lyle pressed it into her hand. 

The young psychic reluctantly took it. 

"You are going to kill Jarod and do everything that the Centre tells you." 

She dropped the blade in horror. 

"No," she gasped. 

"I thought you would feel like that. Sam is waiting in the other room to teach you a lesson. You 

remember what happened after the last time you wouldn't kill someone." 

Cindy shuddered. She would do anything to avoid another beating like that. For a week everytime she 

moved, she had wanted to cry. Of course the Centre had wanted her to keep working. Sydney's words from 

that morning suddenly rushed back to her. I just want you to know that no matter what happens, no one 

will blame you. Especially not Jarod. 

"You will pick up the blade and kill Jarod," Lyle said calmly. 

The young woman slowly bent over and picked up the shiny blade. For a moment she thought about 

turning it on herself. Jarod would be safe and she wouldn't have to do the Centre's bidding anymore. As 

she straightened up, she hesitantly looked into her friend's eyes. She felt her mouth go dry when all she 

saw was understanding and love. 

Cindy glanced at Lyle and saw the start of impatience in his eyes. He was use to being obeyed when 

he gave an order. The fact that she hadn't reacted right away was beginning to make his patience run out. 

She looked down at the cold metal in her hand. She had killed Jarod's clone, which had killed a part 

of herself in the process. She felt tears come to her eyes as she slowly raised the knife. 

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. 

Jarod nodded and closed his eyes. The knife arched through the air and hit its intended target. The 

wide eyes stared the metal in shock, before the man stumbled back a few steps. The pain was excruciating, 

but he had felt worse before. 

When his thumb had been cut off. 

Lyle stared at Cindy, who wiped the tears from her eyes and grabbed Jarod's arm. He started slightly 

at the contact before opening his eyes. He looked down at the young woman, slightly confused. 

"I can feel a little bit now. The drug must be wearing off." 

He looked at Lyle, who was trying to pull the knife out of his shoulder. Jarod started forward to help 

him, but she grabbed his arm. 

"He won't die," she said. "I made sure I didn't hit anything vital." 

Jarod pulled her over to the door, which was locked. "It won't be long before someone comes," he said 

as he glanced at the camera. "What we need is a distraction." 

As if hearing him, the power went off. He felt Cindy grab his arm. 

"How's that?" she asked. 

"Ask and ye shall receive." 

"What?" 

"I'll explain later." He jiggled the handle, which still wouldn't open. 

"Allow me," she said. 

It took longer than it normally would have, but after a minute, the door opened. She smiled, even 

though she knew Jarod couldn't see it. 

"I guess I haven't lost my touch after all." 

"We have to hurry. The Centre has an emergency generator that kicks on if the power isn't back up in 

ten minutes." 

"I take it that means that you have a plan." 

"Of course." 

**** 

Sydney jumped slightly when the power went out, even though there was plenty of light coming from 

his windows. He glanced at his watch. By now it would be done. Cindy would have killed the pretender and 

the Centre would be in control of her again. With a sigh, he leaned back and closed his eyes, trying not to 

think of how much the man who had been like his son actually meant to him. 

**** 

Miss Parker frowned at the wall as the lights went out. She opened the blinds on her windows and 

finished packing the box of her few belongings that she had kept at the Centre. She was finally free of this 

place. It had taken most of her life, but at the moment, she didn't care. What mattered now was that they 

had Jarod back. And as long as he was here, she wouldn't be. She closed the box and waited for the lights 

to come back on. 

**** 

Lyle pulled the knife from his shoulder slowly, biting his lip to keep from crying out. It clattered to 

the floor. He grabbed his shoulder and stumbled to the open door. In the dark it was impossible to tell 

which way they had went. He slid to the floor and waited for the lights to come back on. He knew it 

wouldn't be too much longer. Then he would teach Cindy a lesson she wasn't going to forget anytime 

soon. 

**** 

Angelo held the breakers tightly in his hand for a moment, then dropped them to the floor. He heard 

people coming. He closed the circuit box and climbed back into the vent. He knew the emergency power 

would kick in soon, but he hoped he had given his friends enough time to escape. He pulled the grate shut 

and started crawling away. The last thing he wanted to do was get caught. 

**** 

Cindy grabbed Jarod's hand and pulled him down the hall as the drug wore off more and more. 

"I know where we are. There's a way out over here." 

She led him to the rungs she had used to escape before and pushed him in front of her. 

"Go first. I can hold anyone off if they come." 

Jarod started climbing up, making sure she was right behind him. He pushed the door open and 

helped her climb out. He pushed the door shut just as the lights came back on. The two friends looked at 

each other and laughed. 

**** 

Cindy stared out the window. "What did you say it was called again?" she whispered. 

"An airplane." 

She watched as another one slowly went down the runway before going into the air. "I don't know a- 

bout this." 

"Trust me. I'll be right beside you the entire time." 

Cindy smiled and touched his face lightly. "How long until they know?" 

"Know what?" 

"Who helped us escape." 

Jarod raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?" 

She giggled. He smiled in spite of himself, enjoying the sound he heard too rarely from her. 

"Angelo. How do you think the lights went out?" 

"How-" 

"I felt him, right before we left. He is psychic, you know." 

Jarod's smile got bigger. "Probably never. He would have been very careful." 

"Flight one-twenty for Las Vegas is now boarding." 

"That's us." 

"Why are we going there?" 

He grinned as he slipped on a pair of sunglasses. He watched as she mimicked his movements. 

"You'll see when we get there," he assured her. "Trust me." 

"I do," she answered with a grin of her own. 

As they boarded the plane, her mind reached out and touched his briefly, seeing flashes of what Las 

Vegas was like. When they settled into their seats, he looked at her. 

"Don't do that," he said. 

Cindy looked startled. "How did you know?" 

He leaned closer to her, smiling at the fact that he had actually been able to surprise her. "I may not be 

psychic, but I am a pretender." 

The psychic mearly raised her eyebrows at the explanation and settled in, waiting for take off. 

Document created with wvWare/wvWare version 0.6.7 -->


End file.
